Passport Health Plan Renews Contract with ikaSystems for Business and Medical Intelligence Systems

ikaHEDIS and ikaProfyle Reporting Systems Stabilize Professional and Performance Expenses

Southborough, Massachusetts. September 2, 2005 - ikaSystems Corporation, a leading provider of web-based enterprise resource planning (ERP) solutions for the healthcare industry, today announced that University Health Care dba Passport Health Plan—a Medicaid managed care plan, administered by AmeriHealth Mercy, which serves the Medicaid and KCHIP populations in the Commonwealth of Kentucky—renewed the contracts for the ikaHEDIS and ikaProfyle systems.

ikaProfyle performs rigorous risk analysis and physician profiling to provide standardized evaluations that compare primary care providers (PCPs) and networks in terms of quality of care and cost. ikaHEDIS incorporates Health Plan Employer Data and Information Set (HEDIS®) standards to provide expert evaluation of health plans in the form of comprehensive “report cards.”

Since implementing ikaSystems’ technology in 2000 Passport Health Plan has increased its membership by more than 30%. Medical expenses per member per month (PMPM) have increased less than 5% annually, which is significantly lower than the national average.
“Passport Health Plan uses ikaHEDIS and ikaProfyle to stabilize professional and performance expenses, which provide the cost-effectiveness necessary to thrive,” says Solomon J. Zak, M.D., Vice President, Business and Medical Intelligence for ikaSystems. Based on this cost-savings, Passport Health Plan has set “a positive example” for other Medicaid programs in the country, adds Dr. Zak.

“ikaProfyle, in conjunction with other plan initiatives, has improved the quality of care for members,” says Lois Dailey, Associate Vice President, Provider Services for Passport Health Plan. Passport has instituted a reward system for cost-effectiveness that is well received by providers.

“We have seen a change in trend in terms of reduced utilization costs in certain categories,” says Dailey. For example, HEDIS reports have helped Passport reach out to prenatal members to encourage them to receive necessary care. “The number of members receiving prenatal care is increasing,” she adds.

Passport uses the ikaHEDIS System for NCQA accreditation. “We work closely with ikaSystems to obtain HEDIS information and to report those findings to the community and to NCQA,” says Dailey.

HEDIS reports assure Dailey that members are receiving care from the appropriate location. For example, reports indicate an increase in pharmacy costs and a decrease in emergency room visits, which means that PCPs are correctly diagnosing cases and eliminating unnecessary tests and hospital visits.